1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, an imaging method, and a waterproof housing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that performs imaging in a state where a camera main body is accommodated in a waterproof housing, an imaging method, and a waterproof housing used in the imaging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When photographing in water is performed by using a photographing apparatus, such as a digital still camera, a digital video camera, and the like, the digital still camera or the digital video camera is accommodated in a waterproof case or a waterproof housing for a photographing apparatus, as disclosed in JP-A-2005-115178 or JP-A-2003-131315. In a state where water is made not to permeate into the digital still camera or the digital video camera, photographing is performed.
There is suggested a photographing apparatus that has a touch panel overlapping on a surface of a liquid crystal display panel and serving as an operation of the digital still camera or the digital video camera. In this photographing device, of the digital still camera or the digital video camera. In this photographing device, the touch panel having transparent electrodes is disposed on the liquid crystal display panel, and if a location corresponding to the touch panel is pressed, the transparent electrodes come into contact with each other, and thus a switching operation is performed. Accordingly, a control unit is constructed to perform the corresponding operation.
The touch panel is disposed on the display panel, and the photographing apparatus that performs a necessary operation upon photographing by the touch panel is accommodated in the waterproof case or the waterproof housing. In this case, an operation by the touch panel may not be performed. That is, since the waterproof case or the waterproof housing is made of a material having predetermined rigidity against water pressure, even though the housing is transparent, a predetermined operation cannot be performed by pressing on a predetermined location of the transparent housing and thus the touch panel on the inner side of the transparent housing.
In order to solve the above-described problems, in the related art, there is known a method that provides a switch and a substrate in the waterproof housing and electrically operates the photographing apparatus. However, a cable needs to be provided between the photographing apparatus and the waterproof housing such that an electrical signal exchanges between the photographing apparatus and the waterproof housing, which results in increasing the manufacture cost. Further, according to a structure in which a switch and a substrate are disposed to exchanges an electrical signal with each other, the manufacture cost may increase and the size of the waterproof housing may increase.
Further, in a case where a button for operating the touch panel provided to overlap the liquid crystal panel is provided at a corresponding location of the waterproof housing, since the button is necessarily disposed on the liquid crystal display panel, display through the display panel cannot be viewed from the outside. Further, if an operation button provided in the housing is operated, the surface of the liquid crystal display panel is pressed through the touch panel. As a result, the liquid crystal display panel may be broken. Accordingly, it may be impossible to provide an operation button for operating the touch panel in the waterproof housing.